Payback time arrived: Labor Wants Obama to Take on Big Fight
At the top of labor’s wish list is passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it harder for companies to fight union-organizing drives. “It is the most important issue that we have,” said John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO.
President-elect Barack Obama has promised to fight for the legislation, but whether it is introduced in the first 100 days of his administration could signal how strongly he is aligning himself with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, say political consultants. Moderate Democrats and those who have just won seats in traditionally Republican states are expected to argue against making the legislation an early priority.
Unions failed to get major labor legislation passed under the Carter and Clinton administrations, and union membership has declined to 7.5% of private-sector workers, from about 20% in 1980, according to U.S. Labor Department data.
After unions spent more than $400 million on the election and mounted massive voter-turnout efforts for Mr. Obama, they’re inclined to push for bringing the Employee Free Choice Act up for a vote early next year, believing they have a narrow window to get it passed. They’re worried other issues could emerge to eclipse the legislation, and that business would have more time to mount opposition the longer action is delayed.
The bill would give unions — rather than companies under current law — the choice of having workers vote for a union by signing cards instead of through a secret-ballot election. Card-signing is preferred by unions because it can be done without an employer’s knowledge. With secret-ballot elections, companies typically have months to mount an opposition.
The bill also authorizes an arbitrator to impose a first contract if a union fails to reach agreement with a company by 120 days following the union’s formation. Under current law, if the two sides don’t reach a contract within a year, the union typically loses its right to be the exclusive bargaining agent for the workers.